Fantasy Football Breaking News

Huddle Up: It's an important step in his return from a concussion suffered a couple weeks back. Don't expect Ajayi to play long, but what matters is that he's playing. If he suffers no setbacks throughout the preseason then he'll remain an RB1 candidate.

Huddle Up: Reed is one of the more frustrating players in fantasy football. He's a top-tier tight end when healthy, but he's as fragile as china too. If he's at full health entering the season, he's worthy of being drafted as a high-end TE1 with more value in PPR leagues.

New York Jets WR Quincy Enunwa (neck) is expected to undergo surgery on his neck sometime next week. Enunwa had hoped to avoid surgery after receiving a second opinion.

Huddle Up: With Enunwa out for the season, Robby Anderson is the No. 1 wide receiver for the Jets heading into 2017. He has sleeper written all over him if he can stay healthy as the Jets will indubitably be forced to pass a lot this season. Take a chance on Anderson in the later rounds of fantasy drafts.

Seattle Seahawks RB Thomas Rawls (ankle) will be sidelined for Week 2 of the preseason with a minor ankle ailment. RB Eddie Lacy will start in his place.

Huddle Up: Rawls is still the better value in Seattle's backfield as long as he remains healthy enough to play. Lacy will assuredly limit Rawls' ceiling, making neither player worth more than an RB3 investment.

New York Jets WRB Matt Forte (hamstring) will not practice Thursday, Aug. 17, and will not be playing in the Jets' second preseason game Saturday, Aug. 19.

Huddle Up: The nagging hamstring injury is becoming somewhat of a concern for the 31-year-old running back. It doesn't seem to be serious enough for him to miss regular season time, but it should be monitored. Bilal Powell is the running back to own on the Jets anyway. Forte is no more than a flex consideration at this point in his career.

Cleveland Browns WR Josh Gordon's potential reinstatement to the NFL is not being actively considered, according to commissioner Roger Goodell. Gordon is eligible to re-apply for reinstatement in September after being denied reinstatement three months ago.

Huddle Up: Gordon has serious recurring off-field issues. He can be avoided altogether in fantasy leagues until at least next season, at which point he may still not be reinstated.

Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill (knee) is undergoing reconstructive knee surgery Thursday, Aug. 17, according to sources. A full recovery is expected to take between 10 and 12 months. At that rate, Tannehill would at least be ready for training camp next offseason.

Huddle Up: Tannehill can be avoided for the foreseeable future. It remains to be seen if he will even be playing for the Dolphins next year. For now, Jay Cutler and Matt Moore will take the quarterback reins in Miami, but both are low-end fantasy backups.

Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell will report to the Steelers prior to the commencement of the regular season, although it is unclear exactly when he will report, according to a source.

Huddle Up: Bell continues to wait for a long-term deal after being tagged this offseason. Nevertheless, he will return to the field as arguably the best running back in the game. He has to be one of the first two players taken off the board in any format.

Washington Redskins WR Jamison Crowder (hamstring) participated fully in practice Thursday, Aug. 17. He is expected to play in Washington' preseason game Saturday, Aug. 19, according to The Washington Post's Mike Jones.

Huddle Up: Crowder will be an integral part of the Redskins ' passing attack in 2017. He is better suited for PPR leagues as he should see plenty of targets in the slot with the departures of Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson. In such leagues, he has WR2 upside, but it's better to take him as a WR3.

Huddle Up: Decker twisted his ankle yesterday, but it's not expected to be serious. Decker is a low-end WR3, but he has much more upside as a WR4 as he could fall due to his recent injury history and age.

Los Angeles Rams WR Tavon Austin (hamstring) will be used in a similar role as he has in the past, according to general manager Les Snead. 'We haven't figured out how much he evolves as a receiver in this offense because he hasn't had a chance to play,' Snead said. 'Plan to see him used very similarly to how he's been used in the past. By that I mean, he's scored as a receiver, he's scored as a running back, he's scored as a returner. That's why we like him. He threatens the opposing team in many different ways. We've just got to get him healthy.'

Huddle Up: Austin offered a glimmer of hope of justifying his No. 8 overall pick status in 2015 with a 52-473-5 receiving line and a 52-434-4 rushing line. He's a small receiver that you can do a lot of things with, but the previous regime couldn't make him enough of a factor. He has WR5 viability, but it's unlikely he'll be a consistent fantasy source.

Jacksonville Jaguars QB Blake Bortles has the highest passer rating (111) in the NFL over the last two seasons during garbage time (defined as the last five minutes of the fourth quarter and the losing team is down nine or more points), having completed 78-of-118 passes for 964 yards, with 12 touchdowns versus only four interceptions. Additionally, since 2015, 20.7 percent of Bortles' touchdown passes have come in these instances, which is nearly four times the average for the rest of the league.

Huddle Up: Experienced fantasy owners are probably already aware of Bortles' elite ability to pad his stats in meaningless situations, but it's even more glaring when you look at the actual numbers. Still, it shouldn't really tempt owners to draft the fourth-year pro as their starter, as Bortles was a huge letdown last season when many expected him to make a giant leap. He'll be entering a make-or-break campaign and hasn't really exhibited any encouraging signs this summer.

Denver Broncos QB Paxton Lynch has received 'considerably more' first-team reps this week than he ever had during training camp. In a joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers Wednesday, August 16, there were five 'team' periods of 11-on-11 football, with Lynch getting three and QB Trevor Siemian receiving the other two. It was also 'pretty much that way' during the team's practices over the prior two days.

Huddle Up: Lynch is slated to start the club's next preseason game on Saturday, so that has a lot to do with him getting this type of workload. Denver is expected to announce their starting quarterback going into the new season in the next week, but no matter who emerges from this battle, they shouldn't be counted on as your QB1 in any format entering Week 1.

Buffalo Bills WR Anquan Boldin will make his team debut in the second preseason game Thursday, August 17, against the Philadelphia Eagles. He is expected to play a 'good amount in the first half,' as he wants to continue to nail down the timing in the passing game with QB Tyrod Taylor.

Huddle Up: Boldin proved last year in Detroit that he still has some usefulness left at age 36, and while Jordan Matthews is sidelined, he figures to attract plenty of targets. However, with Matthews expected back by Week 1, the ceiling probably won't be that high for the 14-year veteran, and as a result, it'll be hard to trust him as a WR3 in standard formats.

Carolina Panthers TE Greg Olsen's agent has talked with interim general manager Marty Hurney about a possible contract extension for Olsen, but no deal is imminent at this point, according to sources.

Huddle Up: Olsen is looking for a new deal but will probably have to wait until next offseason for a deal. He has been one of the most consistent tight ends in the NFL and should be a No. 1 fantasy tight end in all fantasy leagues.

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said the team is very happy with how TE Vance McDonald has performed during training camp.

Huddle Up: McDonald was made available in a trade at the draft but is still with the team and could be a starter when the season begins. He could be a late-round flier in fantasy leagues as a possible No. 2 tight end.

Atlanta Falcons RB Devonta Freeman (concussion) is expected to go through the concussion protocol over the next few days and could return to practice soon, according to head coach Dan Quinn.

Huddle Up: The Falcons should take things slow with Freeman and make sure he is ready for Week 1. Freeman recorded 1,079 yards and 11 touchdowns last season and will continue to be a focal point on offense in 2017. He should be a No. 1 running back in all fantasy leagues.

Huddle Up: Montgomery could be held out of the second preseason game because of his injury but has a few weeks to prepare for the regular season. He will be the starting running back for the Packers this season and will continue to be used in the passing game. He will be a solid No. 2 running back in all leagues.

Chicago Bears WR Markus Wheaton (pinkie) recently underwent surgery to repair his broken left pinkie. Head coach John Fox said there is no timetable for Wheaton's return.

Huddle Up: Wheaton has dealt with injuries during training camp and it is not known when he will return to practice this time. Wheaton could be a late-round flier if he wins the No. 2 receiver job for the Bears.